BPSC Prelims Strategy: Subject-wise Approach from Previous Papers

The Prelims is a 150-mark General Studies paper that only decides who reaches the Mains. Since about ten candidates per vacancy move ahead, the target is a safe margin above the cut-off with few negative marks. Rules are on the BPSC exam pattern page.

Subject-wise questions in recent BPSC Prelims

Subject	66th	67th	68th	69th	70th	70th (re-exam)	71st	Average
History (Ancient, Medieval, Modern)	25	27	25	29	29	33	26	28
Geography (India and World)	10	13	13	18	20	21	20	16
Indian Constitution and Polity	6	11	10	13	12	16	15	12
Indian Economy	7	7	15	13	5	8	4	8
General Science	30	30	30	22	25	29	29	28
Bihar Special	25	25	17	15	14	15	18	18
Current Affairs	37	27	30	30	35	19	29	30
Quant / Reasoning	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	10

What the trend shows

• Current affairs, general science and history together account for about 85 of 150 questions on average.
• Geography has doubled from 10 questions (66th) to about 20 in the last three papers.
• Polity has risen from 6 to 12–16 questions.
• Bihar special as a separate block has fallen, but Bihar also appears inside history, geography and current-affairs questions.
• Economy is unpredictable (4 to 15), so core concepts matter more than budget figures alone.

Subject-wise approach

Subject	Approach
History	NCERTs (Classes 6–8 and Class 12 ‘Themes in Indian History’), one modern-history book, the Indian National Movement with Bihar’s role, and art and culture basics.
Geography	NCERT geography with an atlas; physical divisions, rivers and climate of India and Bihar; map-based facts.
Polity	One standard polity book; Constitution, Parliament, judiciary, panchayati raj and Bihar’s government.
Economy	Basic concepts (inflation, banking, external sector, trade) plus the Economic Survey and Bihar Economic Survey.
General Science	NCERT science of Classes 6–10; everyday science, health and technology in the news.
Bihar Special	One Bihar GK source revised many times: districts, rivers, history, personalities, schemes, economy.
Current Affairs	Twelve to fifteen months of national, international and Bihar news; schemes, reports, sports and awards.
Quant / Reasoning	About ten questions at a basic level: percentages, ratio, averages, series and data reading.

How the paper has changed

In an interview on the BPSC Wallah YouTube channel, Ujjwal Kumar Upkar, Rank 1 in the 69th BPSC CCE, observed that BPSC has moved from single-fact questions towards multiple-statement and concept-based questions linked to current events, closer to the UPSC style. He found elimination useful in the 69th paper and considered UPSC Prelims questions of the previous five to six years worth practising, because themes repeat.

BPSC also deletes faulty questions after reviewing objections. In the 71st CCE final answer key, five questions were deleted, including items on a sports event, Lok Sabha procedure and Bihar’s pyrite production, after the Commission found errors in them.

Option E and negative marking: how to decide

Each question has four answer options and option E for ‘not attempted’. A wrong answer and a blank row both cost 1/3 mark. Simple expected-value arithmetic, assuming one mark per question, shows when a guess is worth it:

Situation	Chance of being right	Expected marks if answered	Decision
No idea (4 options)	25%	0.25 − 0.75 × 1/3 = 0	Mark E: no gain from guessing
One option eliminated	33%	0.33 − 0.67 × 1/3 ≈ +0.11	Small gain; answer if fairly confident
Two options eliminated	50%	0.5 − 0.5 × 1/3 ≈ +0.33	Answer
Fairly sure	75%+	+0.67 or more	Answer

The last 60 days

• Weeks 1–4: revise all subjects from notes; one full-length test every three days, with analysis of every error.
• Weeks 5–6: Bihar special and the last 12 months of current affairs; two tests a week.
• Weeks 7–8: light revision of weak areas, PYQs, and OMR practice with option E; no new sources.

Prelims and Mains together

The Prelims-to-Mains gap has been four to seven months recently. Writing practice on Mains topics should run alongside Prelims revision, especially for Bihar-specific themes that appear in both stages.

Frequently asked questions

Which subjects carry the most marks in BPSC Prelims?

Current affairs, general science and history: on average about 30, 28 and 28 questions respectively in the 66th to 71st papers, as compiled by Chronicle IAS and Testbook.

How many Bihar special questions come in BPSC Prelims?

Between 14 and 25 as a separate block in the 66th to 71st papers (18 in the 71st). Bihar also appears inside history, geography and current-affairs questions.

Should I guess in BPSC Prelims?

Only when you can eliminate at least one or two options. With four options and a 1/3 penalty, a blind guess has an expected value of zero. Mark E for skipped questions; a blank row costs 1/3 mark.

Are UPSC PYQs useful for BPSC Prelims?

The 69th CCE topper said UPSC Prelims questions of the last five to six years were useful because BPSC now asks more concept-based and multiple-statement questions.

How many questions should I attempt in BPSC Prelims?

There is no fixed number. Attempt every question where you can eliminate options, and aim for high accuracy; negative marks for wrong answers and blanks reduce the score quickly.

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Sources: BPSC 72nd CCE advertisement, option-E notice (1 May 2026) and 71st CCE final answer key (31 October 2025), bpsc.bihar.gov.in; subject-wise counts from Chronicle IAS and Testbook; Ujjwal Kumar Upkar, Rank 1 in the 69th BPSC CCE: interview on the BPSC Wallah YouTube channel. The Commission’s notices are the final authority.

Prepared by the GSMitra Editorial Team. Last updated 22 October 2026.